Kenya: 50 die in tanker explosion

  1. Posted on Sunday 1 February 2009 - 06:53
    paddingtonkenya
    Image of paddingtonkenya
    Story and Photo: Jack Shaka, AfricaNews reporter in Nairobi, Kenya
    At least 50 people are feared dead a few kilometres from Molo Town in Rift Valley Province of Kenya after a petrol tanker exploded around 7.25pm on Saturday. People who rushed to the scene to siphon spilling fuel were consumed to death as the flames flared. Over 100 sustained various degrees of injury.
    Fire in Kenya Photo Jack Shaka
    The Molo Deputy Police Boss, Daniel Kamanza, confirmed to the media that he had counted at least 50 charred bodies from the explosion. Some police personnel who went to the scene to ensure law and order also sustained injuries. Firefighters from the nearest Fire Brigade in Nakuru town arrived late.

    Just last Wednesday, Nairobi’s super store – Nakumatt – was caught in wild fire killing at least 25 people with many others missing. This AfricaNews reporter said Kenyans are still grappling with the effects of the Nakumatt fire and now this very one.

    Molo is a district which bared the brunt of the tension during the campaign period of the 2007 elections and after. Between October to December 2007, over 16,000 had been displaced according to the Red Cross. The explosion is not helping much as the people were just beginning to rebuild their lives after the resettlement, AfricaNews reporter said.

    Molo area has faced tribal clashes since the 90's and it becomes worse during the election period. Displacements and deaths normally tear this town apart - a town mostly populated with the Kalenjin and Kikuyu community.

Latest News

  1. OPINION: Welcome to African Green Revolution24/05For the past century and a half, Africa has tried various agricultural approaches without much success.
  2. Egyptians vote in historic election23/05Egyptians began voting freely on Wednesday for the first time to pick their president in a wide open election that pits Islamists against men who serv…
  3. Africa Day 2012 - a moment for reflection and…22/0525th May is Africa Day. For many years it has been a celebration of African unity. It dates back to 1963 when the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) …
  4. South Africa's African agenda21/05The Deputy President of the Republic of South Africa, Kgalema Mothlanthe paid a rare visit to Ghana in April at the invitation of John Dramani Mahama …
  5. Women struggle to rinse hunger, poverty stains21/05Just looking at her one clearly appreciates that she is old and frail therefore in need of support for food, clothing and shelter to live comfortably …
  6. Climate Climate change affects migratory birds…21/05Changes in the climate globally have affected the movement of both migratory and resident species of birds, Nature Uganda has said.
  7. Ghana: Foreign retailers cited for currency…18/05The Ghana Union of Traders Association (GUTA) is attributing the sharp depreciation of the Ghana cedi against major currencies to the illegal activiti…
  8. Kenya: Community radio brings succour to…18/05Korogocho, a slum in northeastern Nairobi with 100,000 inhabitants, had many of the ingredients for a political explosion similar to those that rocked…
  9. Veld fires 'flame' Zimbabwe's…16/05Over the years, Zimbabwe has experienced the scourge of veld fires destroying property worth thousands of dollars.
  10. Liberia commends ECOWAS for support14/05The induction training of pioneer Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Volunteers for Liberia kicked off in Monrovia, with the Deputy Mi…
  11. Vanishing Lake Chad puts 30m lives at risk14/05As you approach the Lake Chad basin from Maiduguri, in north-eastern Nigeria, the evidence of despair is telling.
  12. Heavy rains cause havoc in Kenya14/05Heavy Rainfall continued to wreak havoc across the country leading to the suspension of relief food in some parts of the country as most roads in Turk…
  13. Zimbabwe: Growth points lie dormant14/05The Zimbabwean government mooted the concept of growth points in the 1980s as a means of decongesting cities and towns.
  14. Sierra Leone improves in infant mortality11/05Sierra Leone has improved in infant mortality cases according to Save the Children- World Motherhood index 2012 report. The West Africa country descri…
  15. Zimbabwe: Resettled farmers fail to utilize…10/05Resettled farmers in Zimbabwe are failing to utilize land due to inadequate farming inputs and lack of resources.
News archive